Conveyer belt aligning mechanism



P 1951 w. E. NICHOLOY CONVEYER BELT ALIGNING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Shea:

Filed April 24, 1947 Sept. 11, 1951 w. E. NICHOLOY CONVEYER BELTALIGNING' MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheei: 2

Filed April 24, 1947 I: I I 1111: TQIIIII'I] .4. I :1 t T 1 t u u I E It t t ll 1: t t 1 u u L L /Y w n m I 20 2 Q0 INVENTOR. Win72"! fT/Kin/ayBY MW W ZAM'L ATTOEVL'Y Patented Sept. 11, 1951 'BELT ALIGNING MECHANISM'winfordi-EuNicholoy;fioluntbus;Ohio, assignorio Elie Scott -iner:--Gompany,'-olumbus, Qhio; a

corporation at .Ohio

ApplicaltioniApril' '2ii, 1947,*seria1-No. 7435495 Thisinvention relatesttozharvesting machine's,

and'imorevparticularlyto :a type adapted to hull and separate peas,.beans a'nd the alikeirom the vines and pods; and in which there isuaconveyor apron guide to keep ithe' conveyore apron movin in :asubstantially .fstraightrpath and out of :ru'bbing :and wearingcontacts.

Dnet of itheobjectsz of this "invention is" to provide iinaharvestingmachine arsel-f fadj'ns'ting and aligning 'guide means for use ontheaend rolls to move :the conveyor'apron 'out'of .the'rp'athiof ftravelwherein its side edges zzare in irubbing contact, which can beinstalled: readily and'soperated'eflirient-ly, and maintained with aminimum of service andrexpense.

It :is :also one of the-objectsto provide in a machine for milling andseparating 'pea's, a'zbeans,

randthe like from vinessfand :pods :a guide means which aligns thecommodity ."apron "andkeeps it running/in a substantially straightpath.This feature is provided-so that the 'apronziwill not run tooi iar-itoone side :;or the *other a-nd ride 'upon the rub orv :flap boards, whichextend TabOVe'IthG apron-at each-edge thereof and serve :"to directcommodities near the apron :edges onto the; apron. ASuch'riding of theapron "on the .fiap boards :allows a :portionof'the commodities to iallthrough the open or z'exposedzarea on'the opposite. side from whichthesapron iis movin'gdout of alignment. Commodities rfiall-ing'throughin thismanner "are caught on the lower side of the apron and carriedinto the end rollers where they are mashedand soon require: astimeconsuming cleaning operation. -Qne of the advantages btainedirom,guiding thecommodiity apron .in:a substantially-straight path :is thusbeing able-to avoid -mashing parts=cof the commodity the manner statedand having to -sto p the'machin'e and cleanthe rollers.

"Another object. is to'proviide for a "i'nachineof thetype described'-an aprongguideadaptedtoire-1 ceivethe ends 10f the wooden slatsprojecting froml'the :convrntor apron, whenever the apron movessubstantial-1y outof its normal vpath of travel, and impart -suificientthrust thereto to cause the apron to travel back into .its normal pathof'travel in-whi'ch i-txisout of rubbing contactwiththe top guide orsides of themachine.

An additional objectnis toprovide-apron guides mounted directly upon theend-rollers of a machine of the character describedadapted toreceive theside edges of the slow-moving flexible fabric :apron as it tends tomoveout of its normal path: of travel-and .:-return the apron to suchipathof.'=trave1"that-there will be noxrubbing-contact 'with' thetopguideor'side edges of thema'c'liine.

A still further object is to provide a self adjusting-apron 'g'uidewhich canbe mounted "directly upon the endsof the'apron roller of avirfin'g machine and rota-ted therewith, and whichelimina'tes the-needforusing rub boards as guide means-along'theside of the apron. It is"also an object-to provide mea-ns for increasing the amount of servicenormally obtained from a conveyor-apron'by' decreasing the amount ofrubbing contact and tearing to which the edges thereof are normallysubjected, "which are simple to"install and easytoremove, and whichminimize the wear encountered "on the ends 'of the apron "'sla'ts byproviding a, pushing action on the slatsas "they go over both the topand bottom apron roller, thereby "preventing the apron "from runningtoo'far'to either side/and making aajustment "thereof "a relativelyeasy, simple "job saving considerable time 'and reducing the cost of upkeep' by increasing the service obtained from the apron. Otherobjectsand advantages of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing -descriptions, the "appended claims, and the accompanyingdrawings 'whereinpre'ferred forms of "embodi mentsnf'th'e invention areshown.

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a, perspective viewof a "harvesting machine embodying one formof this'inven'tion; .iFl'gl'Z is'a ,partialside elevational view of themachineshown in Fig. 1,:a's seen from the right end thereof, the feederforieeding the vines into themachine being removed for clearer illustra:tion of the conveyor apron;

Fig.3 is a plan view of the conveyor apron assembly;

Fig. 4 is aside sectional view taken substantia1ly.onthe.line.4'-4 ofFig. 3.;

' Bis albroken, elevational viewof one of the rollers over whichtheconveyorv apron passes; and

Figs-64's a sectional view on an enlarged scale o'f onesof-theapronguides. v r

Referring tot-the drawinganthe harvesting machine l 9 hasia "frame 2 0)supportedon the iounda tion blocks 21 comprising -the-horizontallyzposi-. tioned sills 22 which are secured, as by welding ordbyzmeans ofbolts if preferred, to the vertical 20, being suitably joumalled inbearings Ill provided at each end thereof. Cylinder 35, which is in theform of a hexagon, is assembled with the boards 4| mounted on asupporting frame or wheel 42. Projecting from the outer surfaces of thecylinder are steel heaters 43 which are mounted at a slight angle asshown in Fig. 2 for a clockwise movement of the cylinder, and whichfacilitate the threshing action, as well as ,providing for carrying theempty pods, hulls and vines through the reel assembly 44 to the point ofdischarge.

The reel assembly 44 is also rotatably mounted and in general comprisesa pair of cylindrical end members 45, Fig. 2, in which a plurality oflongitudinally extending ribs 46 are positioned. Mounted between theribs 46 are the wooden frames 41 which are covered with rubber sheetsbeans roll down the inclined. apron and are collected in a box 14 whilethe chaff is' carried upward on the apron and discharged over the top ofroller 80 into a suitable receptacle, not shown,

48 having about five-eighths 4;) inch perforations formed therein.Suitable power driven drive means 49, Fig. 1, are provided for rotatingthe cylinder 35, power being transmitted to the reel, however, from acounter shaft 50 and through the sprocket wheels 5| and chains 52.

A feeder 53 mounted at one end of the machine IQ is provided with achain loading mechanism 54 suitably driven by means of the .gear andsprocket drive 55. This feeder is loaded at its lower end with peas, forexample, in vines or pods as they are brought from the field and carriesthem up to a discharge point within the reel 44 where they are threshedto effect a separation from the pods, hulls and vines. After thisseparation has taken place, the pods or hulls and vines are carriedthrough the reel 44 and are discharged at the opposite end upon thelower end of the inclined straw carrier 60. This carrier, the principalobject of which is to carry away the vines discharged from the reel 44,also has a sprocket and chain drive SI for supplying motive power. Thereis also a further separation of any peas or beans which remained intheir pods or hulls after passing through the reel 44. In thisoperation, the vines, empty hulls and chaff are discharged from theupper end of the carrier 60. Any remaining peas or beans fall throughthe perforated or slotted bottom onto the under carrier 63 and aresubsequently collected in the box 85.

Referring to Fig. 2, the peas, for example, that are separated as thepods or hulls pass through the reel 44, and portions of the vines andhulls which are broken small enough to pass through the perforations inthe sheets 48, fall through and are deposited upon the upper surface ofan upwardly inclined conveyor apron assembly 18 which has an apron 1|mounted for endless rotation. This apron is substantially flat andconstructed preferably of material such as commercial grade number 2cotton duck, and has a width of approximately 12 feet 3 inches and acircumference of about 20 feet inches. To operate the most effectivelyand efficiently, the apron 1| is mounted to move upwardly, that is, fromright to left as viewed in Fig. 2, and at a relatively slow speed ofapproximately 69 feet per minute.

Spaced at regular intervals of about 30 inches apart along thecircumference, wooden slats 12', Figs.- 3 and 4, are fastened as bytacking to the inside surface of apron 1|. These slats I2 extendentirely across the width of the apron and are each approximately 1%inches wide by inch thick and 12 feet 5 inches long, The ends of theslats thus extend, from each side of the apron by a substantial amount,about 1 inch as shownat 13 in Fig. 3. These slats serve to hold or uponthe ground. A protecting hood 15 is also provided at the upper end ofthe apron to prevent wind from blowing the hulls and vine shreds and todirect their discharge downwardly.

The apron 1| is mounted for endless rotation over the end rollers and8|, which are positioned between the side boards '82 and 83. The roller80 is positioned substantially above the horizontal plane through roller8|, Fig. 2, so that the apron travels upwardly in an inclined plane ofabout 27 degrees. A sprocket and chain drive is provided for driving thetop roller 80, which is rotatably'mounted in bearings at each endthereof. The lower roller 8| is also journalled for rotation and isdriven frictionally by the apron. In constructing the rollers 88 and 8|it is preferred that they both be of non-circular cross sectional shape,so that the rotation'thereof imparts a flopping action or motion to theapron 1|. Thus as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, the top roller 80 is oftriangular shape while the lower or bottom roller 8| is hexagonal inform. In some models of this machine the bottom roller is square, theconstruction and operation of the apron being the same in all modelshowever. With this uncrowned type of roller construction, together withthe slats 12 of the apron, the apron in passing around the rollers andover the successive flat faces or surfaces on the rollers, has the abovereferred to flopping action or motion imparted thereto which causes theseparation of the commodity from the mass of chaff deposited upon theapron "H. To provide a skeleton bottom or support for the apron, and tofacilitate keeping the apron in a flat plane, a scow 86 is mounted toextend beneath the upper side of the apron H. This scow comprises aplurality of wooden members 81 spaced a substantial distance apart onrods provided for that purpose. As seen in Fig. 2, the slats l2 rideupwardly on the members '81 as the pron is rotated.

The apron because ofits flexibility; direction of travel, and rate ofmovement tends at times to run out of its normal path of travel. As aresult the ends 13 of the slats come into rubbing contact with the sideboards 82 and 83 of the machine, or the top guides thereof, and aftersufiicient wearing down in this manner the edges of the apron H aresubject to wear and tear necessitating replacement. In replacing theapron, adjustment and aligningof the new apron so that it wil1 run trueis a somewhat difficult and time consuming operation, and if notproperly accomplished results in undue wear and low service life for theapron. 4

To provide for aligning the apron and to prevent it from running too farto either side of its normal path of travel,'a metal guide is mounted ina position adjacent to each end of each of the rollers, being fastenedwith a set screw 9| to the shaft 92 passing through the rollers '80 andBI. The guide 80 rotates with the roller to which it is attached and atthe same speed as the apron travels. The guide is constructed with aflat disc like member 93 and is provided with a central bore 94 throughwhich the roller shaft 52 is received. A collar 95 is welded inalignment with the bore 94 and is bored and threaded as at 95 to receivethe set screw 9!, by means of which it is secured to the shaft 92. Inconstructing the guide 95, for example, one to be used with thetriangular roller '86, the diameter of the disc member 93 is 14 incheswhile the flanged edge portion '91 is 1% inches in length, the depth ofthe guide being inch. It is preferred that steel inch thick be used forthe guide. It will be understood that the diameter of disc member 93will be somewhat smaller for the guide to be used on the bottom roller8i since it is of smaller diameter than the top roller 89. However, inother respects the guides are similar.

In operation it has been found that with the apron guides 99 constructedas described any tendency for the apron to run out of its proper path oftravel, that is, out of alignment to an extent in which the ends 13 ofthe slats i2 are in rubbing contact with the sides of the machine iscorrected. The ends 53 of the slats in passing over the rollers 89 and8! do not engage with the portion 93 of the guide when the apron "H isrunning true and in its normal path of travel. A clearanc of about /2 to1 inch being maintained under such conditions between the ends 13 of theslats and portion 93 of the guide as shown at the top of Fig. 3. Whenthe apron starts to run out of its proper course the ends 1!? of theslats engage the beveled surface of the flanged edge portion 97 of theguides. This surface is so shaped and formed as to impart a gentle, yetsufliciently firm pushing action on the end 53 of each apron slat 12 asit goes over the roller to correct any deviation from the true runningpath, and thus continuously adjusts and corrects the travel of the apronto prevent it from running too far toward either side. With thisconstruction and arrangement of apron guides, there is no tendency toover align or compensate for deviation from the normal running path. Theapron guides are self-adjusting in this respect and continuously apply acorrective movement to the apron tending to keep the apron runningproperly and without side rubbing contacts. It is to be noted also thatwith this construction, the guide 96 corrects the deviation of the apronby a pushing action applied to the ends of the slats 12 which isaccomplished without wearing or rubbing the ends 73. This is due to thefact that the guide 96 rotates i. e. travels with the end of the slat asit moves around the roller and at the same speed.

From the above description it will be apparent that there has beenprovided a self-adjusting apron guide for use on the long, uncrownedapron rollers of a harvesting machine of the character described. Withthese guides, it will be apparent also that a wide, flexible conveyorapronoperating at relatively slow speed, and running loose so as topermit the flopping action necessary to separate peas or beans and thelike from the chaff, can be continuously adjusted and guided so as toprevent it from runnin too far either to one side or the other. Theseguides thus prevent the edge of the apron from wearing and tearingcaused by rubbing contact with the sides of the machine, and increasethe normal service which can be obtained from the conveyor apron. Theapron guides are easily installed or removed and 6 make the adjusting ofthe apron a relatively easy and simple job which saves the operatorconsiderable time and reduces the up-keep cost of the machine throughincreased service life obtained from the apron.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as hereindisclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood thatother forms can be adopted which come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. In a harvesting machine for hullin and separating peas, beans and thelike from the pods, vines and chaff, the combination of a substantiallyflat inclined endless fabric conveyor apron,

a pair of non-circular end rollers over which said apron is adapted totravel, means for rotating one of said end rollers to provide fOr movingsaid apron at a predetermined rate in an inclined plane, transversewooden slats spaced apart on the inner side of said apron and having theends thereof projecting from the side edges thereof a substantialdistance, and a self-adjusting apron guide removably attached to eachend of said rollers comprising a plate having a bevelled edge adapted toengage the ends of said slats when said apron moves substantially out ofits normal path of travel, said bevelled edge traveling around theroller in engagement with the end of a slat and at the same speed ofrotation as the roller and imparting a pushing action to the end of eachslat in contact therewith to provide for changing the direction of thepath of travel to align said apron in a path of travel in which there isno rubbing contact with said bevelled edge.

2. In a harvesting machine for hulling and separating peas, beans andthe like from the pods, vines and chaii, the combination of asubstantially fiat, inclined, endless conveyor apron of fabric havingwooden slats mounted transversely thereon, the ends of said slatsprojecting from each side of said apron, non-circular rollers at eachend of said apron for imparting a flopping action thereto, means forrotating one of said end rollers to provide for moving said apron at apredetermined rate in an inclined plane, and an apron guide comprising aflanged plate having a bevelled edge attached to the ends of each rollerand rotatable therewith and mounted to receive the ends of said slatswhen said apron moves substantially out of its normal path of travel,said bevelled edge after engaging the end of a slat traveling therewitharound the roller and imparting a, firm pushing action thereto in thedirection opposite to which the apron is tending to run to provide forchanging the direction of the path of travel to align said apron in apath of travel in which there is no rubbing contact with said apronguides.

WINFORD E. NICHOLOY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 675,703 Allen June 4. 1901994,910 Duesterhofi June 13, 1911 1,486,918 Plummer Mar. 18, 19241,945,843 Woodrufi Feb. 6, 1934 2,451,394 Klein Oct. 12, 1948

